LOGINEvelyn's mental state wasn't good. Her mind was fixated solely on Vanessa, leading her to violently lash out at Cameron. Cameron initially just wanted to calm her down, intending to restrain her. Unexpectedly, she started mumbling and shouting Ivy's name.When Adrian entered, Cameron, in a fit of panic, violently slapped Evelyn across the face to silence her."Mom—!" Adrian rushed in, pushing Cameron away and cradling Evelyn in his arms, his brows furrowed in a deep frown. "Dad, how could you lay a hand on her? Don't you know she's sick?""Even if she's sick, that's no excuse to act insane. If she doesn't improve, send her to the hospital and get a caregiver to watch her.""What, after driving away your own daughter, now you're going to drive away your wife?" Adrian's words dripped with disdain for his hypocritical father. "I truly admire you, being able to hide for so many years. And Ivy, she harmed Vanessa, and now you want to harm my mom. Do you believ
No matter what Adrian said, Vanessa remained unwavering, dead-set on severing ties with the Voss family and never contacting them again.Seeing her like this, Julian's emotions were complex. If she could treat the mother who had loved and protected her like that, how could she possibly still harbor any feelings for him?But he was a stubborn man.No feelings.Then he would simply take the person."Vanessa, you're being a little heartless."Julian wiped the blood from his hand, uttering the words as if an afterthought. Vanessa's eyes snapped into focus, staring at him with profound disbelief — the man who had promised to make amends again and again, only to wound her repeatedly. "Am I heartless? Who was it that knew I was innocent, yet still threw me into the eye of the storm?"Julian had brought it up casually, not expecting such a fierce reaction from Vanessa. "You misunderstand. Back then, no one knew you were innocent. Who el
Julian had been injured, though not as severely as expected.The Voss' first floor was silent, the interwoven breaths of everyone present forming a suffocating net. Vanessa felt breathless as she stepped inside, her eyes immediately drawn to Julian sitting on the sofa, blood still trickling from the back of his hand. Blood also smeared his face, his pupils dark, as if harboring an unvented hatred.Cameron's blood pressure surged with rage, his face a mask of fury. The moment Vanessa entered, he abruptly stood, glaring at her not like a father at his daughter, but like a judge at an unpardonable criminal. "Get this person out of here right now! I haven't called the police this time, all for your sake.""Then you should just call the police. I don't want that consideration," Vanessa retorted. She glanced at the Voss' reception hall, which remained untouched, unlike the living room she'd passed on her way in, now a complete wreck.Cameron, still fuming from Julian's earlier antics, now h
Vanessa was at the piano store when she received a call from the Voss family. After a moment of hesitation, she picked it up.She walked aside, away from Cameron, and Cameron's voice came through the receiver, "Vanessa, come home immediately and take your husband away.""Julian?" Vanessa didn't understand Cameron's words. "Why is Julian at the Voss family home?""He's here for Ivy. You married him, yet you can't even keep an eye on your own husband. And even now, he's still coming to me for another woman, isn't he?" Cameron found the mere thought absurd, let alone the fact that it was actually happening, Julian right before his eyes, undeniably real.Vanessa still didn't understand, but she caught the note of reprimand in Cameron's voice. She no longer called him 'Dad'; he had no right to lecture her."So what if we're married? Didn't Aunt Evelyn fail to keep an eye on you?" Vanessa was not fragile. Her previous demeanor was a result of being terrified of life, having endured enough b
As they stepped out of the private room together, Adrian, unable to hold back any longer, shoved Julian hard, deliberately keeping his voice low."What exactly are you trying to do? Are you only satisfied when everyone knows about this?"Julian patted the collar of his shirt, his downcast eyes slowly lifting. "It's not me making things this way. It's you hiding secrets, and of course, I'll stop at nothing to figure them out.""Why should I tell you my business?" Adrian scoffed dismissively, as if looking down on Julian. They had once been united on the matter of Ivy, wronging and humiliating Vanessa because of it.But not anymore.Julian had married Vanessa, and asking about this now was simply wrong of him."Is that your business? That's Ivy's business," Julian declared with righteous indignation, as if he'd forgotten that Vanessa was his wife."You're going to such lengths to find out about Ivy, but have you ever cared about Vanessa's feelings?"Vanessa didn't care, so what could Ju
With a single sentence, Adrian successfully sowed discord.As they went upstairs, Julian walked behind Vanessa, holding both their coats. The material was soft, so even if crumpled, it wouldn't wrinkle.“Vanessa?”Julian's voice was faint as he called out.Vanessa paused on the stairs and looked back. “What is it?”His wife showed no reaction whatsoever to his nervousness over his ex-girlfriend. This wasn't what Julian wanted. He longed to see Vanessa as she used to be, flustered and jealous over his affairs.But it wasn't like before, not anymore.“I'm just curious, trying to understand what happened. It has nothing to do with Ivy.” Julian knew how hollow his explanation sounded. “Those things are in the past.”“I know they're in the past. Your explanation, however, seems a little forced.”Her words clearly displeased Julian, but he didn't show any sign of embarrassment. He simply offered a nonchalant smile. “Then what if I told you that I genuinely still have feelings for Ivy? After
Vanessa didn't feel ashamed at all, and bit her ruby-red lip as she replied, "Who told you to hide from me and not meet me? I had no choice but to wait for you here.""I'm hiding from you. Don't you know what that means?"She was so innocent back then, and truly shook her head.Julian had already m
Vanessa could vaguely guess who was on the other end of the phone.Her return was undoubtedly met with Julian's disgust and abhorrence, hence his need to confirm her condition with Adrian in the dead of night.He was overthinking things.Someone who had rolled in the mud, been utterly shattered, ho
Tending Towards Fear.Vanessa gripped her umbrella, her voice trembling, "...I won't. The past was my fault. I caused you trouble, I'm sorry."Standing in the wind and rain under the umbrella, her thin, malnourished body was hidden in oversized clothes. The wind blew through, and her pant legs were
The scenery along the way was both strange and familiar. Icy rain, like beans, fell from the sky, blurring the car window. Vanessa Brooks looked out, both apprehensive and curious.So much had changed, including her.Three years had passed. The face reflected in the car window was no longer full an







